The White House has initiated a new campaign to encourage military veterans to pursue careers as commercial truck drivers, aiming to fill a void created by a recent crackdown on immigrant truckers who lost their licenses. The initiative, launched Friday, is part of a broader effort to connect veterans with civilian employment opportunities.
The campaign promotes programs that allow veterans who have recently operated large military vehicles to bypass the standard skills test for a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Additionally, soldiers can enroll in CDL training programs during their final six months of active duty, with the GI Bill covering 100% of the training costs and providing a housing allowance for some individuals.
This push comes after the Transportation Department began enforcing existing English language requirements for truckers last summer. A crash in Florida in August, which resulted in three fatalities and was caused by a truck driver whose license was later found to have been improperly issued, heightened concerns about driver qualifications. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the driver, who was from India, should not have been licensed.
Audits across all states revealed numerous non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses that remained valid despite expired work permits or the absence of proper citizenship verification. Consequently, approximately 26,000 drivers have been removed from the road for failing to prove English proficiency, and 30,000 commercial licenses were canceled due to illegal issuance. The federal government has also sought to withhold highway funds from California and New York for non-compliance, a move currently under legal challenge, and has issued warnings to other states regarding potential funding loss.
"We are removing more and more dangerous foreign drivers off our roads every day and restoring the integrity of America’s trucking industry," Duffy said. "Our new Freedom Haulers campaign will help build on these successes and get the word out that there’s never been a better time for America’s former service members to get behind the wheel of a big rig."
The trucking industry has expressed support for the administration's actions to remove unqualified drivers and address fraudulent CDL schools. Companies also see veterans as valuable additions to the workforce. Derek Leathers, chairman and CEO of Werner Enterprises, noted that veterans constitute 15% of their workforce and bring essential leadership, discipline, and technical skills. Cole Stevens, chief strategy officer at Stevens Trucking, added that veterans' integrity, accountability, and mission-first mindset make them ideal drivers.
New federal regulations are also being developed to restrict which immigrants can obtain a non-domiciled CDL and to require them to pass the test in English, though these rules face legal opposition. Currently, only holders of H-2A (temporary agricultural workers), H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers), or E-2 (investor) visas are eligible for such licenses under the new framework.
While immigrants represent about 20% of all truck drivers, those holding non-domiciled licenses constitute roughly 5% of all commercial driver's licenses, totaling about 200,000 drivers. Some immigrant groups have voiced concerns that drivers are being unfairly targeted, particularly Sikh truckers, as drivers involved in recent fatal accidents in Florida and California were Sikh.
The Transportation Department plans to collaborate with the Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Labor to promote trucking as an independent and viable career path for veterans. Although veterans must still study and pass the written CDL exam, those with experience driving heavy military vehicles can waive the skills test. Over 40,000 veterans have utilized this provision, enabling them to enter the profession more quickly. The average annual salary for truck drivers is currently around $70,000, with the market experiencing increased demand and rates.